Just wondering if anyone else is using the 50L braumeister on here? I did a search but didn't find much at all. What I want to do is fit a pickup tube on my wort outlet. I also want to know how to get the wort out when using flowers without blocking the outlet valve? What other people do and any tips on cooling and whirlpooling in the braumeister? How do you go about cleaning the elements and general info on calculating final volume and gravity?

I also would like suggestions on how to plug in schedules in BTP (what is the easiest way)?
I have thought of ways around all these questions iv'e asked but im sure there no the best or easiest way to do it so id'e like to hear other peoples ideas. Hope there isn't a thread on here like this already Cheers
Gav

Nice system. I've never seen one, so I can give only limited suggestions. You can get dip tubes from Bargainfittings and Brewershardware, and the latter will make custom tubes if the stock ones don't seem like they will fit. A Bazooka screen will help with the whole hop flowers. The question will be whether you can make it all fit.

A counter-flow chiller would work, if you can't fit an immersion chiller.

Isn't the Braumeister essentially a no-sparge system? In that case, you can use Kai Troester's Batch Sparge Simulator to calculate final gravity, ignoring the sparge additions and putting the entire batch volume as your mash-in volume. With the only variables being grain weight, water volumes and percent conversion, if you can mash to 90-100% conversion, your gravities can become very predictable.

The easiest way to plug schedules into BTP is probably to save templates with your most common mash schedules. If you have the lock boxes checked, BTP will make most of the adjustments to different grain bills automatically as you enter the ingredients.

Sorry mate I didn't mention im from Australia but i'll have a look at those web sites anyway.
As for measuring the amount of water to add at the end of the mashing cycle I have been using the tool in BTP for getting my correct pre boil gravity. See the Braumeister should only be filled to the 53L mark because the height of the malt pipe. So I usually just take minus what the grain weight in the malt pipe from 53L then that gives me how much water I need to make up with sparge. Doing a sparge (is't really a sparge just more rinsing the grains) bumps up my efficiency % from about 75% to about 85%. I always check my gravity and make calculations as to how much water added I actually need then cross reference with my recipe and it's usually within 1 ltr.
Reason I was asking is to get feedback on other ways people do it.

My current setup for cooling. I have a 30 plate, plate chiller with a recirc 1/2" tube back to kettle which is supposed to whirlpool and cool at the same time. But the problem is that my cooler gets a little blocked with hops and trub and the flow back to kettle is not enough to get a good whirlpool going. I use a hop sock but the same thing happens. A bazooka screen would be great i'll just have to find a way to fit the screen around the elements.
Thanks very much for the input mate appreciate it.
Gav